The Symphony Woods Lobby Shop is hosting this year’s Wine in the Woods, a festival that celebrates (you guessed it) wine! The festival is out in Howard County, Maryland right off the Columbia Pike. It attracts about 30,000 patrons who come for the music, food and, of course, delicious wine. Tickets cost between $20 and $32 and kids and designated drivers get a discount.
Head out to the festival and grab a glass (or three). For those of you wine enthusiasts who love wine but can never seem to finish a bottle—don’t let the good stuff go to waste. Here are five ways you can put those leftovers to use after the festival is over!
Make Your Plants Happy
Wine makes everything a little better for you—and your plants! Instead of throwing away leftover wine that’s no longer fit for your sophisticated palate, use it to fertilize your plants. Drop the rest of your wine into your compost pile where it’ll help the good bacteria do its thing. You’ll feel good for recycling, and your garden will get a little pick-me-up. Everyone wins!
Smooth Your Skin
According to some sources, red wine is also good for your skin. Drop a cup (or two) into your next bath and let the burgundy liquid soften your skin. Pour a glass for yourself to get a nice glow both inside and out!
Cook Up Champagne Eggs
Make a standard breakfast staple about 100 times more classy by adding Champagne. If you have some stale white wine like prosecco or cava that you just can’t bear to part with, add it to the next morning’s eggs—one tablespoon for every two eggs. The result will be a fluffy, decadent plate of deliciousness.
Kill Some Pests
While this spring’s weather may have you questioning whether summer will ever arrive, the season of annoying pests is right around the corner. If you have a problem with pesky gnats and fruit flies, leave a little bit of leftover wine out on your counter. Bugs will leave your fruit alone in favor of the wine and will get trapped in the liquid. Win!
Scrub Your Produce
Fruits and veggies can harbor nasty bacteria, which is why health officials usually recommend that your thoroughly wash your produce—especially if you don’t plan on cooking it. Instead of purchasing expensive cleaners, put wine in a spray bottle and use it to clean your fruits and veggies. The alcohol in wine helps kill that dangerous bacteria.
Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato is a freelance science, health, and environment reporter based in Washington, DC, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, NPR, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and Nature.
